Casa Gira, a house in Portugal

Sunny, Family-Friendly, Urban Retreat

Built across varied levels, with a mezzanine sleep space over a compact kitchen that opens onto a split-level dining nook and bright, sunroom living area, this slightly off-the-beaten path home in one of Porto's increasingly happening neighborhoods makes for a happy spot for a small family. A cocoon for three adults or a 2 child family with an added crib or child mattress available, the house is conveniently located near metro lines and is a 20-minute walk to downtown Porto.

With its sunroom, easygoing furnishings of art, design collectibles and handmade crafts plus its bright green backyard, this home offers a great place to unwind, rest and play, safely enclosed, after a busy day exploring Porto’s buzzing medieval passageways and boat-packed Douro riverfront.

Set off of a main thoroughfare, a 20-minute walk from the fortified city center, the home is modern and modular, with a bright, multilevel, open floorplan and cheery rooms that make it a smartly-organized spot for a carefree family. One of the two bedrooms and bathrooms can be closed off, but the rest of the home is breezy and open concept, its floorplan revealing an abundance of wood and glass accented by bright pops of color in throws, pillows and fun accent decor pieces.

Around

An eight-minute walk from Campanhã street, this home is one of many residences in the newly popularized neighborhood east of downtown. Campanhã’s traditional houses and commercial warehouses have been actively reconfigured as family residences over the last decade, and young creatives live and work in the neighborhood, now abuzz with art studios, design outposts and concept shops, alongside traditional fishmongers and family-run restaurants. Architectural studios and galleries add to the lively mix, and theaters and performing arts centers are also contributors to the transformation of the once sleepy area. Campanhã feels a little bit frozen in time, an area that mixes cobbled streets and narrow row houses with larger post-industrial buildings made new, a central transport center (Campanhã train station) and the Mercado do Bolhão for produce, meats, fish and artisanal treasures.

The Douro River is easily accessible, as is the Faculdade de Belas Artes and the Antes Stadium where the city’s FC Porto football (soccer) team competes. Twenty minutes’ walk on foot leads to Porto’s historical center, a UNESCO World Heritage Classified Site encompassing the medieval heart of the city within its 14th-century, Romanesque walls. Porto’s famed azulejos, or colorful tiles, adorn most buildings in the city center, offering a dazzling backdrop of patterns and color. Azulejos date from the 13th century when the Moors invaded the area, bringing the decorative ceramic tradition with them. Not to be missed on a visit to Porto is Vila Nova de Gaia, home of the city's namesake port wine cellars located on the Douro waterfront, on the riverbank opposite Porto’s Old Town.